The Aftermath of The Labyrinth

Sitting on comfy couches in a stone-gray room lit by warm artificial lights and heated by hidden pipes, Cyrus sat down adjacent to Minerva and across from Imran as they all sat in contemplation.

Cyrus rubbed his head as he finished parsing everything that had occurred recently, thinking back to how surreal it was when the event ended abruptly after the spectacle of an actual Archmage defeating some kind of dark entity right in front of them. Of how he and his companions were silently ushered from one room to the next, all the way to their rooms in the Academy itself all with naught but a word said to them.

Clapping his hands together to get the attention of his two allies, he said

"All right! There is no need to remain locked within ourselves as we ponder all that had occurred, let us be open with one another"

Both Minerva and Imran's head snapped towards Cyrus upon his clapping and subsequent statement, having been broken from a deep lull of consideration.

Seeing that he had their attention, Cyrus continued

"Putting aside the implications of the delve into the Labyrinth for now, I am sure the most burning questions on our minds are what exactly happened at the end of the event. What we witnessed, who we witnessed and what it means for us."

Finally present enough to speak, Imran was the first to respond.

"We saw an Inquisitor take down what appeared to be a normal human at first but transformed into…something else. Then we saw Archmage Glacies himself defeat what made the first monster look like a cute puppy, all of which was something that is unknown to the public as something that exists. My main concern is how we will be handled in regards to that"

Cyrus heard and understood, nodding slightly as he countered easily

"We should have nothing to fear when it comes to possible repercussions, such as silencing us"

To that both Imran and Minerva jolted slightly in their seats, showing it was clear that they were all worried about that, which perhaps was obfuscating their clearer thoughts.

"The entire event of the Labyrinth was structured like normal, making even me believe that it was an ordinary event. Yet, if we consider it retroactively a few things become apparent that were not clear in the moment" began Cyrus, grabbing the attention of his two companions.

"Groups of students were sent with 'guides' into the Labyrinth, a place that is under the control of the Academy but from the architecture, the carvings on the wall, and the lost language written on it I would guess that while it is under their control it was not strictly created by the Academy itself…or perhaps even the tower. It may have belonged to something else at one point, and we simply appropriated its use for ourselves-"

"What does that matter? So what if it was built by the dwarves or the elves or some old race that died out long ago…" Interrupted Imran, in slight agitation.

"Imran, you cannot let fear and doubt cloud your reasonings. It means everything if you consider the broader picture, such as if you ponder as to why we were sent there in the first place, if you try to puzzle out a different reason than just to teach and train the students" replied Cyrus calmly.

Imran leaned back in his seat, having enough wit about him to realize that Cyrus was correct, as evidenced by him taking a deep breath and recollecting himself fully before thinking for a moment and speaking once more.

"So you mean to say that our venturing into the Labyrinth was related to the happenings we witnessed at the end?" asked a more collected Imran.

"Indeed. Look at it from the point of view of the professors and perhaps Glacies himself, if you had hint of a rat hiding in your basement…what would you do to draw it out?" asked Cyrus openly.

"Bait" uttered Minerva from the side, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Correct: Bait. The timely appearance of both Professor Asinus and the Archmage himself, as well as the hidden Inquisitor in the ranks of the veterans. I can also imagine that there were more than just one Inquisitor mixed in, perhaps a few meant to weed out possible enemies from within" concluded Cyrus.

"If that is true, then how does that mean we are secure in knowing knowledge not meant for the general public? As much as I want to trust the words of a single man, I remain to be convinced" said Imran in finality.

"It has everything to do with it, not specifically because of the event itself as it was merely an offshoot so to speak. The root of it all could be thought of as twofold; the first being the sudden changes to Glacies, the second as to why there is such a massive concentration of power in this region in the first place especially when you consider how peaceful it has been historically. Surely the other regions that are in constant states of fighting would be able to use such resources, that seemingly sit around and do nothing? Is the Empire not said to never waste any resources, always making sure they are used as effectively as possible?" postulated Cyrus, one after the other causing the two at his front and side to reflect deeply.

"These lands have never been as peaceful as we had originally thought, just that the nature of the enemies is different than what we are used to; Beast and man. Which means that the nature of those that fight against it are different, as well as the truth of the matter so unnerving that it is kept as a strict secret" analyzed Minerva

"And that the war with these forces is ramping up, causing them to take drastic action so as to even begin specifically training the students that come from this Academy…perhaps to create a new specialized force to led more power to our side in this conflict?" seconded Imran.

"It is a possibility, and one that is becoming more likely the more evidence that we uncover. Perhaps we are misunderstanding some of the smaller details, but overall, it seems that the idea is in the correct direction. In fact, I would go so far as to guess that come morning we will be summoned and perhaps given an explanation that hints at the true purpose of the changes behind Glacies. Both as a way to answer our questions and to make us become complicit to their secrets, indirectly ensuring our silence. I also would not put it past them to assign some kind of watch to us should we leave the Academy grounds until they can be sure of our compliance, or perhaps disallow us from leaving entirely…who knows for sure but we will find out tomorrow" finished Cyrus.

Slowly but surely the other two thought upon the theory, cross referencing it with the information that they all knew and had observed themselves before having no choice but to agree with it…even if just to lighten their nerves enough to sleep through the night.

Seeing this Cyrus said,

"Good, now that we have calmed down and understood our situation as well as we can now comes the most important part of all…"

Both Imran and Minerva refocused on Cyrus, their attention at max so as to hear whatever could be more important than what was discussed before…

"Sleep!" said Cyrus with a bright smile as he stood up and began to walk to his own room.

"We went through a lot in the past two days, constant fighting and intense travel through wasteland conditions. Not to mention the mental strain of it all, especially considering what happened at the end. Sleep is the best remedy we could have right now, to allow both our minds and bodies to rest. Good night!" said Cyrus as he opened his door and disappeared into his room under the disbelieving gazes of his two companions.

The door closing behind him and the room being lit in a dim magical glow from a light source on his desk, Cyrus thought as he unloaded everything off his person

"The rest should be left to themselves, as without me present they can surely speak of things that they otherwise would not. Such is the difference between our current bonds, I am the newcomer after all as it has been but a few days of knowing each other… one day perhaps we will share such bonds but not today"

Sighing slightly as he wondered about the complexities of human relationships, Cyrus finished putting all of his belongings on his desk and changed from his well worn sand cloak into something more comfortable all before setting out to follow his own advice and sleep.